What Causes Burnout?
Seems like burnout is more prevalent than ever. Creating work/life balance has become increasingly difficult as technology has allowed us to remain more and more connected. The constant notifications from work, friends, family, news outlets, and social media, can be hard to resist engaging with, and make it even more challenging to maintain any semblance of boundaries.
While we usually associate it with work, burnout can result from overexerting yourself in your professional role as well as in your personal life. As we strive to be the best employee / leader / parent / child / friend / athlete / etc, it can be easy to push past our limits and overcommit. Running on empty works for a few miles, but, unfortunately, burnout can have serious, lasting negative impacts on your mental and physical health. Understanding your own needs, being attuned to your body, and setting healthy boundaries can help you avoid or recover from burnout.
How do I know if I’m experiencing burnout?
Common signs of burnout include:
Compassion fatigue
Cynicism or pessimism
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty sleeping
Emotional numbness or depletion
Fatigue or exhaustion
Feeling detached or listless
Feelings of dread about work
Harsh negative judgment or criticism
Hopelessness
Irritability, feeling on-edge or frustrated
Lack of creativity
Loss of enjoyment in previously enjoyed activities
Loss of sense of purpose
Lowered immunity or frequent illness
Low mood or depression
Low morale
Muscle tension or pains
Reduced performance and productivity
Social withdrawal or isolation
What causes burnout?
While burnout can come from any combination of personal and professional stressors and responsibilities, the causes fall into 3 main categories:
Overload burnout
Overload burnout is the most common form of burnout and comes from expending energy, physical and emotional resources, at a rate that is unsustainable in an effort to reach success. Burnout is a result of overextending yourself, neglecting your own needs, and trying to operate on a superhuman level and typically impacts highly dedicated employees, overachievers, workaholics, and type A personalities who are highly driven by external validation, success, and ambition.
Under-challenged burnout
This form of burnout results from being chronically under-stimulated or under-challenged in your role. The monotony and boredom lead to lack of motivation and people may begin to feel unfulfilled, unappreciated, and stagnant in their career.
Worn-out burnout
Worn-out or neglect burnout arises when you feel helpless in the face of a high-stress workload. This type of burnout often occurs when the work environment is lacking structure or guidance, making it increasingly hard to meet the expectations of the role. This dynamic causes people to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and incompetent, which also contributes to low self-esteem and lack of job satisfaction. Worn-out burnout can feel like spinning your wheels and getting nowhere, leading to a helplessness and desire to give up.
So how does therapy help?
Burnout often comes from a place of wanting to be the best help to everyone, but the reality is that you’re not going to be much help to anyone if you’re burned out. Whether you’re on the brink or deep in the midst of burnout, therapy can help you regain the vitality that is often depleted as a result of burnout.
Therapy for burnout can help you…
Develop a healthy work/life balance
Feel more empowered and inspired
Regain your sense of purpose and passion
Feel confident showing up as your authentic self
Strengthen your relationships and uphold your boundaries
If you’re interested in addressing your burnout in therapy, feel free to reach out to set up a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if I’m the right therapist to help you.
Click here for the Burnout Self-Assessment
About the Author: Sage Grazer, LCSW
I am a licensed psychotherapist providing online therapy to young professionals struggling with anxiety, burnout, trauma, loss, and relationship issues. I work with adults to help them develop the insight, skills, and resilience to cope with whatever life stresses come their way. I specialize in helping high-achieving women overcome anxiety and burnout to feel more confident, empowered, and effective in their lives. If you’re a resident of California or Hawaii, schedule a free consultation to learn more.